Category: Engines and Gear

Tom Peacock: wrenches, engines, and many miles

by Brian Robbins FREEPORT, ME – For someone who spent the biggest part of his working career on the roads of Maine, Tom Peacock is looking pretty comfy at home these days. Oh, don’t worry: he’ll jump behind the wheel in a heartbeat if there’s a good reason to … you can take the man …

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Fairhaven Shipyard delivers second new scalloper to New Jersey’s Larson family

FAIRHAVEN, MA – When Madelyn sailed off into the fog on her maiden voyage in late April, Fairhaven Shipyard Companies Inc. yard workers must have smiled. Madelyn is the fourth commercial fishing vessel newbuild the yard has produced, and if repeat business is any indicator, New Jersey-based boat owner Kirk Larson would appear to be …

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New trawl design effective in avoiding cod while targeting flatfish

PORTLAND, ME  – In the summer of 2016, a new trawl was tested in the Gulf of Maine that promises to substantially reduce the capture of cod without loss of flatfish and other valuable species close to the seabed. Called an Ultra-low Opening Trawl, or ULOT, this modified flatfish trawl is designed specifically to allow …

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Bob Mitchell of R.A. Mitchell: “You do what it takes”

by Brian Robbins NEW BEDFORD, MA – These days R.A. Mitchell Co., Inc. is probably best known as a source for John Deere-powered auxiliary drives and gensets (along with propulsion engines) – and a full line of Mitsubishi diesels that range from a 429-horse 6-cylinder up to a 1676 hp V-16. But when I was …

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Andy McGeoch’s Cape Island Boats

It’s probably fair to say that Andy McGeoch fell in love with Cape Cod before he fell in love with boat building. The Cape Cod crush started when Andy was four years old, living in the Finger Lakes region of New York. “That summer, my father said we were going to Cape Cod for two …

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New study: Chain sweep catches more flounder

WOODS HOLE, MA – This past summer, NOAA Fisheries Northeast Fisheries Science Center undertook a second experimental trawl study to test the efficiency of the research vessel Henry Bigelow’s flatfish catch, this time focused on witch flounder. The two-week study compared a trawl net rigged with a modified chain sweep gear with that of a …

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off course – The vindication of the Wild, Wild West

  LAMOINE, ME – Violence is not the answer. But there really isn’t a better word to describe what happens when the twin turbos on the massive 12-cylinder Isotta Fraschini diesel tucked into the 28’ Wild, Wild West spool up and all hell breaks loose: it’s controlled violence, but violence nonetheless. But even while the …

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CFN Shakedown Cruise: South Shore 38

by Brian Robbins Welcome to another CFN Shakedown Cruise. Periodically, we will focus on a new launch and dig a little deeper into what went into the project – whether it be a new model or a hull well known to the New England commercial market.  What we hope to do is provide insight and …

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New scalloper Monomoy joins New Bedford fleet; big boat nearly ready for her maiden fishing trip

NEW BEDFORD, MA – Monomoy – a 100’ Florida-built steel scalloper – is the latest vessel to join the big Eastern/Nordic Fisheries/O’Hara fleet of scallopers based here. Built on a standardized John W. Gilbert Associates design that has served the companies well, Monomoy arrived in New Bedford in February, after an October 2015 launch, and …

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CFN Shakedown Cruise: Mitchell Cove 35

by Brian Robbins Welcome to another CFN Shakedown Cruise. Periodically, we will focus on a new launch and dig a little deeper into what went into the project – whether it be a new model or a hull well known to the New England commercial market.  What we hope to do is provide insight and …

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